From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Objections to Hartford shock absorbers for the 40/50 chassis and advocating for a higher quality, progressive type to maintain the company's reputation.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 32\1\ Scan010 | |
| Date | 9th December 1921 | |
| X1494 Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to CJ c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} c. tp PN.{Mr Northey} c. to Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} X.3461 X.1494 X.4426 R8/M9.12.21. SHOCK ABSORBERS FOR 40/50 CHASSIS. Regarding your Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}4/LG7.12.21. My objection to Hartfords is that they are likely to spoil the riding of a car because they are not of the progressive type, neither are they single-way ones, like Gabriel Snubbers, but I think they are a cheap way out of a difficulty and as in some cases shock dampers are very desirable, I agree to fitting a few of this type to see if they please owners. After a customer has paid post-war price for a chassis, I am dead against charging him for these fittings; the whole thing is not R.R. quality, or R.R. liberal policy. If we wish to maintain our reputation we must do better than this, so I only agree for the time being until we can do better than others. We have found on Gos.ll. the absolute need of shock dampers with road springs giving far more friction than any cantilever type of 40/50s, but at the rear they have been fitted with the progressive type which we tested and decided were the only ones to give general satisfaction. About such a fitting, price is quite a secondary consideration, and I hope we are not going to make this our guiding force. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||